HOW IT IS MADE

Hunter 1959, a new Spratt- Archer/Kenia hybrid bred by the Department of Agriculture at Dublin, named “Hunter” (Horne, 1959). The latter have a strong non-breaking straw and higher yielding strain (Vincent, 1966). “Hunter” followed on in 1959 and increased its popularity with farmers, superseded progressively Beorna and Proctor. (Atherton, 1966) By 1963, 50% of the malting barley acreage were sown with Hunter, and the other 50% with Proctor (Broekhuizen, 1963). “Hunter’s” dominance of the Irish malting barley industry continued up until 1978.